His organisation believes such a change would have an impact on the three domestic seasons around the tournament - most notably 2021-22 - affecting broadcast deals and requiring every player's contract to be rewritten.

In 2010 Qatar defeated bids from South Korea, Japan, Australia and the United States to be awarded the 2022 World Cup.

Analysis

"Greg Dyke was in relaxed but firm mood today as he spoke to journalists about one of the biggest issues in football, wasting little time in making his mark as the new FA chairman. Until today, the governing body had avoided taking a position on Fifa's hugely controversial decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup.

"Dyke sympathises with the Premier League, who are vehemently opposed to a winter tournament, but his insistence that a change of schedule or location is required for the sake of fans is bound to cause friction with the clubs.

"Two and a half years after Qatar was awarded the event, pressure is now mounting on Fifa to end the uncertainty, with a decision pencilled in for October.

"For years, football has wrestled with how Qatar won the right to host the tournament. Now debate will focus on when it should take place. The fall-out could be as litigious and divisive as anything the game has ever seen."

But shortly before stepping down as FA chairman, Bernstein said there should be no change.

"The bid was for the World Cup to be played in June and July, and for it then to be moved to the winter would be fundamentally flawed," he said.

"If people want it in the winter, they should bid for it on that basis."

Dyke, though, believes a move is inevitable, and suspects there is likely to be legal action as a result.

The 66-year-old, who has visited Qatar in June, added: "Fifa have therefore got two choices. They can move it either time-wise or to another location. I suspect either will end up in some sort of litigation. But then someone should have worked that out in 2010 when it was awarded.

"I understand the reaction of the Premier League in not wanting to move it, and I have some sympathy with them.

"We didn't have to choose to give it to Qatar in the summer. But that's where it is, and I think it will either have to be moved out of the summer or moved to another location.

"I suspect that the former is more likely than the latter."

FA general secretary Alex Horne said any change to the international calendar would trigger complications for clubs, national associations, leagues and competitions around the world.

"It's a big jigsaw that'll have to be put together and it'll take months. The last time we did this it took 18 months to agree a calendar which is the one we're looking for 2014-18, so it won't be quick to fix it if the decision is that we think it should be other than in July," he said.